1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an anti-kinking device used in conjunction with garden variety water hoses and more particularly to an anti-kinking device that includes a female coupling connector defined by a tubular body having a rotatable coupling member adapted to be connected to a garden-type water faucet and an opposite threaded end to receive the female coupling member commonly mounted at the water inlet end of a hose. The device includes an elongated, simi-rigid nylon cable that is fixedly secured to a boss member formed in the internal wall of the tubular body so as to be positioned within the garden-type hose, the cable extending approximately the full length of the hose, whereby the hose is prevented from kinking along its entire length.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been and still exists a long-standing problem of kinking in hoses of the garden type which commonly range in lengths of 25, 50 and 75 feet, wherein the diameters range between one inch to one-half inch. Hoses of all sizes have an inherent problem of kinking at one or more points along the body of the hose due to exposure at high outdoor temperatures and more particularly to direct sunlight, causing the wall structure of a hose to become soft and readily pliable. Many methods and devices have been tried to prevent kinking in various types of short hoses, and in particular hoses that are used in conjunction with vehicles and other types of systems that employ very short hoses mounted within flow systems. However, the difficulties and problems of kinking are still being encountered in common types of garden hoses. Until now, providing a suitable means to prevent kinking at any point along the full length of a hose, especially when it is rolled up for storage or when unrolled for use, has not been available within the known art.
There have been many types of hoses designed to overcome kinking. Some manufactures have attempted to solve the kinking problem by forming the wall structures of the hoses from different combinations of chemical compositions. Thus, hoses can be found composed of rubber or a combination of rubber and plastics as well as many varieties of plastic materials, including impregnating the wall structures of hoses with nylon and metal strands. However, due to the outdoor environment in which garden and like hoses are usually kept, the compositions of these known hoses have a tendency to lose their resiliency and flexibility after long periods of exposure to changing ambient temperatures and weather. Thus, when left for a considerable time exposed to variant temperatures and to direct sunlight, a hose will deteriorate and become unmanageable during use or when it is to be coiled for storage.
Mechanical means have been tried for many types of hoses, including the typical garden variety, and the following are some examples.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,185,741 to L. F. Sorg et al there is disclosed a hose attachment which is defined by a flexible connector for a hose and is more specifically used to provide means for preventing the kinking and breakage of a hose at the point where short bending is likely to occur, such as the end where a water hose is connected to a hydrant. This invention uses a short length of a coil spring that is mounted about the exterior wall of the connection end of the hose. However, it does not protect the entire length of the hose itself.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,289 to Moss there is disclosed an air line consisting of a helically coiled tube of thermoplastic material in which metal coiled springs extend partially along the air line from each end thereof. The two springs are interconnected to each other by a resilient wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,717 to R. D. Obadal et al discloses a reinforced flexible hose for use with a coolant system of an internal combustion engine.
In the British Patent 534,263 to A. J. Prestage an elongated small-diameter spring is positioned within the core of a rubber tube wherein the diameter of the spring is substantially less than the internal diameter of the tube.
Co-inventor Robert M. Hooper of the present application has three patent applications pending in the United States Patent and Trademark Office as follows: Ser. No. 07/682,934 now abandoned; Ser. No. 07/683,026 now Design Pat. No. D330,834 and a continuation-in-part application Ser. No. 07/885,841. These inventions disclose a flexible cable that is fixedly attached to a mounting washer. This mounting arrangement has been found to have operational failures due to the fixed relationship between the cable and the supporting washer. Separation occurs between the washer and the cable when the hose is frequently mounted to or removed from a water outlet. Accordingly, the present invention has been designed to overcome this problem by the novel mounting device in which the cable is secured.